Memory joggers and the like



Dec. 22, 1959 w. w. HOELTJE 2,917,837

MEMORY JOGGERS, AND THE LIKE Filed 'April 29. 1957 Fig- Inventor:

United States Patent 2,917,837 MEMORY JOGGERS AND THE LIKE Walter'W. Hoeltje, Elmhurst, 111. Application April 29, 1951, Serial No. 655,604 1 Claim. 01. 35-62) Thisinvention relates to improvements to memory joggers, and the like. By that term I designate units or devices designed and constructed, and intended for use in the producing of notes or memoranda to recall the attention of the user to various occurrences which should be recalled at a later time, or to remind the user of things to do or to attend to which may otherwise escape his attention. Various other objects and uses of the device will also occur to the student of the present disclosures.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a very simple unit carrying a writing or like surface on which the desired notations to be afterward scanned may be impressed temporarily. The device is so constructed that such notations 'may be readily erased after they have served their intended purposes, preparatory to receiving other notations on such surface or surfaces. For example, such surface may comprise a small section of slate or like material, with provision'for writing the notations thereon; or it may comprise any other suitable notation receiving surface of composition and finish suitable to temporarily receive the desired notations with subsequent erasure thereof, but without damage to such surface so that its usability in the future shall not be materially impaired.

It is a further and important object of the invention to design and produce a unit which may be readily carried by the user thereof, without substantial danger of losing it or misplacing it, and which unit will be readily and conveniently available for use when the occasion arises. Such occasions will frequently be of emergency type, as when it may be desired to quickly note the number or identification of an automobile involved in an accident. Accordingly, as a convenient arrangement the preferred, but not the sole embodiment of the invention is one which is designed and arranged for convenient attachment to some article or wearing'apparel, or to a watch chain or the like.

Since the notations to be made on the erasable surface will generally be of a temporary nature, and due to the erasable nature ofsuch surface and markings thereon, it is desirable to make provision for covering or protecting such surface temporarily after the markings have been made on it. Accordingly, I have made such provision in the form of a cover which may be readily brought over such surface after the markings have been produced thereon. Conveniently, the arrangement is one in which two such erasable surfaces are provided, on opposite faces of a movable element, so that the notations may be made on either such face as desired. I then provide a movable cover, such as a hinged cover plate, which may be moved over that surface on which such notations have been made, thus protecting such notations as long as needed. Specifically, I have provided an arrangement including a ring shaped support :which may be conveniently attached to a watch chain -D'r other pendant element, and the erasable surfacesare I r Patented Dec. 22, 9

provided in the form of opposite faces of an element carried by a light frame pivoted within such ring shaped frame- A cover is then hingedly connected to the ring shaped frame, such cover being, for example, of the form of a hunting case watch cover which can be readily snapped into covering position over that erasable surface on which the notations havebeen made. A second such hunting case cover may also be provided for the opposite face of the unit, if desired, but generally such second cover will not be needed.

Conveniently the element which carries the erasable surfaces will also be ring-shaped, and pivotally mounted within the first mentioned ring-shaped element, so that such second ring-shaped element may be rotated to bring either of its erasable surfaces to that side of the device which the hunting case cover closes. ment, and with the cover in its closed position, the eras able surface opposite to such cover will be exposed, ready to receive any notation to be made thereon. Such notation having then been made on such exposed surface, the cover may be temporarily raised, and the'pivotally mounted element may be rotated through a half turn to bring the notation carrying surface to the opposite side of the unit. The hinged cover may then be closed down over such notation carrying surface, to protect .the notations thereon until it is desired to examine them at a later time. Such rotating of the pivotally mounted element will also bring that erasable surfacewhichwas previously in cover protected position to the opposite side of the device where such surface will now be the exposed surface. It may then be cleaned by erasing of the earlier notations which may have been made thereon, so as to present a clean surface ready to receive other notations at a later time.

It is here noted that with the arrangement just above outlined, the cover serves not only to protect the notations recently made on one of the surfaces, but also prevents the pivotally mounted erasable surface carrying element from improperly rotating-into'a plane non-parallel to the plane of the outer, first mentioned element, so that the entire unit is retained within a comparatively thin compass. Furthermore, the act of closing such hunting case cover into snapping position will ensure complete registry of the pivotally mounted element with the outer-frame element even when such complete registry had not vbeen produced prior to the closing of the cover into snapping position.

It is a further feature and object of the invention to make provision for receiving and holding a small writing implement on the main frame of the device, so that such implement will always be ready and available for use when needed. In this connection it is a further object of the invention to so arrange the parts that such writing implement may be accommodated Within space which would otherwise not be used, thus avoiding material increase in the size or thickness of the-complete unit to accommodate such writing implement.

In connection with the foregoing, it is an object to provide for all of the foregoing elements and features Within a unit of overall dimensions not materially larger than those of a conventional watch.

Other objects and uses of the invention will appear from a detailed description of the same, which consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 shows a front face view of the device with the cover in closed position;

Figure 2 shows a back face view corresponding to Figure 1, and it shows the exposed writing or notation receiving surface; Y

With this arrange- .Figure 3 shows a front face view with the cover open or removed from the device;

Figure 4 shows a central section looking from front to back with the edge portion of the pivoted ring shaped element which carries the erasable surfaces fully exposed, being a section taken substantially on the line 44 of Figure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 shows a cross-section taken substantially on the line 55 of Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, looking in the direction of the arrows in each case; and

Figure 6 shows a detailed section of the pencil or writing implement supporting clip arrangement, being taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Figure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows.

As shown in the drawing, the present device includes the ring-shaped outer element 16*. This is conveniently provided with the conventional ring element 11 which may be connected to a watch chain or other carrying element as desired. This element 11 has its ends sprung into the opposite sockets 12 and 13 of a stud 14, which stud is shown as being threaded through the element 19 tightly to a shoulder 15 of such stud. The inner end portion of such stud is extended through the element and is preferably of reduced size to provide a. pivotal section 16. Another stud 17 is threaded through the element at a location diametrically opposite to the stud 14, being also carried through the element 10 and provided with a reduced size portion 18 constituting a pivotal element companion tothe pivotal element 16.

A-second ring-shaped element, constituting the erasable surface element carrier, 19, is provided with sockets to receive the elements 16 and 18, in free pivoting manner.

by such element or plate 21 as desired. Conveniently the plate 21 comprises a thin sheet of such material as slate on which the desired notations may be made by a suitable'pencil, generally in the form of a thin length of slate or the like. Such markings as are thus made may be readily erased by a damp cloth or other erasing element; or other marking elements such as chalks may be used for producing the desired notations on the erasable surfaces of the element 21. I shall hereinafter describe one convenient form of such a pencil and its support by the unit.

Having set the sheet 21 into place against the shoulder 26 I screw a narrow ring element 22 into the element l to thus clamp the peripheral edge of such element or plate 21 in place against such shoulder. Thus the erasable surface element is securely held to the ring-shaped element 19 and rotates with such element on the axis extending between the pivotal points 16 and 18. Thus either surfaceof the plate may be brought to the front of the device as desired.

The hunting case cover 23 is hingedly connected to the ring-shaped element 10 by the hinge 24, preferably located adjacent to the supporting stud 14. I have also shown a conventional form of bezel 25 around the ring-shaped element 10 to receive the edge portion 25 of the cover with a'snapping action when such cover is pressed closed, and with the usual notch provided at the closed edge of the cover to enable convenient opening of the cover from time to time. Such notch is not illustrated as such arrangements are well known and understood in the art.

With the cover in its closed position it is evident that the surface proximate to such then closed cover will be fully protected so that any notations on such surface will be well preserved, notwithstanding that such notations are of an erasable nature and readily removable by intentional cleaning operations. cover closed condition it is seen that the opposite surface of the element 21 is fully exposed so that it can be readily cleaned and previous notations be removed from such surface, preparatory to a future notation receiving operatron.

l have also, for convenience of-use of the device, shown a thin pencil element 27 removably carried by the ringshaped element 1% at that-face of the device opposite to the cover. Conveniently one end of such pencil element is first set into a small socket 28 formed on the inner ring surface of the element 10 atone location, preferably about half way between the two studs 14 and 17. The element 1% is also provided at a location diametrically opposite to such socket 28, with a recess 29 wherein is received and secured a small snap catch element 30 into which the proximate end of the pencil may be readily snapped after its first mentioned end has been engaged with the socket 23. With this arrangement the pencil is accommodated substantially within the confines of the ringshaped element 10, and may 'be readily removed or replaced from time to time as desired. Also, such pencil will, when so set into place in the ring-shaped element 19 serve to retain the element 19 against unintentional rotation on the pivotal points 16 and'18, such retaining action being supplemental to that produced by the hunting case cover when closed.

if desired another snap catch element may be provided for'securing and temporarily retaining the element 19 in parallel relationship to the element 10, other than or in addition to the hunting case cover already described. For this purpose I have, in Figure 3 shown the periphery of the element 19 as being provided with diametrically opposite notches 31 and 32 into either one of which may snap a spring leaf catch element 33 secured to the inner peripheral surface of the element 10 when parallelism is established between the two elements 10 and 19 with either surface of the element 21 at the front of the device. With such an arrangement the desired securing of the elements 10 and 19 inparallelism may be produced either with or Without provision of the hunting case c'over previously described.

I claim:

As a new article of manufacture, a memory jogger comprising in combination two ring shaped elements of dilferent sizes, one such element being located concentrically within the other, means to pivotally connect such elements together at diametrically opposite locations for relative rotation of such elements about an axis extending centrally through the planes of both elements when the elements are parallel to each other, an erasable surface planar element carried by the smaller first mentioned element, means to retain the two elements in planar registry with each other comprising a spring leaf element secured to the inner periphery of the larger of the first mentioned elements at a location intermediate between the means to pivotally connect the elements together at diametrically opposite points, and biased for spring urge inwardly towards the smaller element and a notch formed in the outer periphery of such smaller element in position to receive such spring leaf element in retaining fashion, together with a cover element hingedly connected to the larger of the first named ring shaped elements, said hinged connection being located adjacent to one of the pivotal connections between the larger and smaller ring shaped elements together with a notation pencil of length substantially equal to the diameter of the larger ring shaped element, and means to removably connect such pencil to such larger ring shaped element, comprising a spring clip secured to such larger ring shaped element at its face opposite to the location of the hinged cover element, such clip being located on such larger ring shaped element substantially ninety degrees from the location of the hinged connection of the cover to such ring shaped element, and means to removably connect one end of the Also, with the parts in such References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Krause Dec. 2, 1884 6 Swaney Sept. 6, 1887 Obergh Oct. 29, 1889 Williams Feb. 13, 1900 Wikoff Mar. 14, 1905 Wilcox Apr. 17, 1906 Hanson July 7, 1908 

